Cape Coral could designate city-owned land for gopher tortoise habitat

Cape Coral environmental activists are pushing for more protections for gopher tortoises in the city, through an ordinance and the designation of a preserve.

Members of the Cape Coral Friends of Wildlife say a six-acre land parcel the city owns in northwest Cape is the perfect location for the threatened species. The land is zoned for parks and recreation, but there are no immediate plans to construct a park on the site, which is home to trees, tortoises, and other wildlife.

Pascha Donaldson, vice president of the wildlife group, said the land is ideal for a “passive park,” with an emphasis on preservation, similar to the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers. The property is located at 3701 NW 47th St.

“There are so many gopher tortoises,” Donaldson said of the land, which is just west of the Yucca Pens Preserve. “We’re hoping the city will make this six acres a designated gopher tortoise habitat.”